Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical image display apparatus, and a method for controlling the same.
Description of the Related Art
In the medical field, medical image capturing apparatuses such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) apparatuses, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatuses, and positron emission tomography (PET) apparatuses are used to capture medical images. Such captured medical images are subjected to various types of image processing, and stored for a certain period of time in data servers in hospitals. When making diagnoses with images, doctors use a medical image display apparatus (sometimes referred to as a viewer) to search for a target medical image and display it on a monitor, while using various functions of the medical image display apparatus (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-000472).
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an exemplary screen configuration of a commonly used medical image display apparatus. A thumbnail display area 1601 is an area for displaying a thumbnail image of at least one piece of medical image data previously or currently captured from one patient. Numerals 1603 to 1606 denote thumbnail images generated from medical image data. A main display area 1602 is an area for displaying medical image data on which interpretation is to be performed by a user. When medical image data is displayed in the main display area 1602, the displayed medical image data can be subjected to various functions of the medical image display apparatus.
The main display area 1602 can be divided into a plurality of areas, and different images can be simultaneously displayed respectively in the plurality of partial display areas (hereinafter, referred to as partial areas 1608 to 1611) obtained by the division. In FIG. 16, the main display area 1602 is divided into four areas consisting of the partial areas 1608 to 1611. Medical image data on which interpretation is to be performed or to which reference is to be made may be displayed in a freely selected partial area, and interpretation is performed by the user. In the user interface in FIG. 16, a freely selected thumbnail image (e.g., the thumbnail image 1603) is dragged and dropped by the user into a freely selected partial area (e.g., the partial area 1609) of the main display area 1602. Accordingly, medical image data corresponding to the thumbnail image 1603 is displayed in the partial area 1609.
However, with the above-described technique, in order to display a desired thumbnail image in a desired partial area of the main display area 1602, it is necessary to drag and drop the thumbnail image into the partial area. For example, the procedure is required that moves a mouse cursor onto the thumbnail image 1603 and selects the thumbnail image, further moves the mouse cursor onto the partial area 1609 of the main display area 1602, and releases the mouse cursor. Accordingly, there is a problem that it requires effort to designate medical image data that is to be displayed and a display position.
In consideration of such a problem, a method has been proposed in which, when any thumbnail image is selected by a user, the system automatically determines a position where medical image data corresponding to the thumbnail image is to be displayed in the main display area 1602. For example, a method has been proposed in which, when the thumbnail image is selected, a partial area not displaying medical image data is automatically identified, and medical image data corresponding to the selected thumbnail image is displayed in the identified partial area. Also, a method has been proposed in which the order for using the partial areas of the main display area is determined in advance, and medical image data is displayed according to that order. However, all of these methods employ a technique for displaying medical image data in a partial area determined by the system, and, thus, there is a problem that data cannot be always displayed in a partial area intended by the user.